Stolen Light
by Squirrel holding a bazooka
Summary: The senshi suffer from their memories being partially erased after the battle with Galaxia, leaving them with no clue of who their precious princess is. However, a new friend decides to shed a little light on the situation.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Sailor Moon.

* * *

She was dead meat.

She knew it already, just by following the man, that she was going to wind up in trouble. They had agreed long ago not to follow each other, though silently, and she was breaking their rule. But then again, Kino Makoto lived to break the rules.

The brunette landed safely on a balcony, narrowly avoiding a potted plant. How awkward would that have been for Tuxedo Kamen to be alerted to her by the sound of shattering ceramic? Slowly, the senshi of Jupiter moved forward, into the apartment the balcony was attached to. Of course, she hardly expected to see Chiba Mamoru dressed in a tuxedo, a glass of wine in either hand.

"Hello, Jupiter," he said with surprising kindness, holding out one of the glasses of wine as a peace offering. "How may I help you?" Instantly, the cockiness of Mamoru returned. "I've already saved your and the other senshi's asses once this evening."

Sailor Jupiter blinked, surprised by her discovery. Slowly, she reached out and took the glass of red liquid she was offered. "_You_ are Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked, watching the man as he took a sip of his own wine.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Well, what could have given you that idea?" he asked sarcastically. "Mako-chan, I advise you to tell Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Minako-chan of my identity tomorrow at the shrine. I will be there at three."

"How did you know who I was?" Makoto asked in shock, her eyes wide.

"You really think that out of the five of us, one of you goody two-shoes senshi would be the first to break the rules?" he asked. Giving her a quick reminder, he said, "I'm a businessman who moonlights as a thief and a superhero. The only rule I haven't broken is bringing the dead back to life."

Makoto scoffed. "Why do I think you've tried?" Not waiting for an answer, she went on, "Do you know anything about the princess?"

This time, it was Mamoru's turn to scoff. "If I knew where she was, do you really think I'd be here right now?" he asked with a smirk. Ah, the joys of being the princess's destined lover: the senshi weren't allowed to comment on the innuendo he placed in his words.

"Do you really want to play this game?" Makoto hissed, stepping towards Mamoru.

"I do not consider the princess a game," he smirked. "However, I am interested in the conception of my daughter. I like to imagine it shall happen soon."

The girl in green merely shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Believe me, Mamoru-san, when the senshi and I find Princess Serenity, she will never meet you," she declared harshly. "Your love destroyed the solar system. You should have left well enough alone before you turned it into freaking _Tristan and Isolde_!"

"As I recall, _Tristan and Isolde_ is set approximately one-hundred years after Serenity's and my untimely deaths, so really, they turned into us," Mamoru corrected. "And if you want your happy little future where you have a chance of returning to your home, you will let us be together."

"The decision is hers, and she would never choose to love scum like you," Makoto spat. "I don't know why time reset itself after Galaxia or why we can't properly remember everything from effectively two years, but it must have been pretty damn awful. And I'm sure it was the fault of your so-called love."

Mamoru chuckled, taking another sip of wine and inviting Makoto to do the same. Instead, the brunette downed the rest of her glass, grabbing the bottle on the counter and pouring herself more wine. "Serenity's and my love, Mako-chan, is the only reason we are all alive today." He paused, wondering just who his princess was now. He couldn't remember any proper details about her, just their love for each other. "You may go," he dismissed the brunette.

He turned away, walking into his bedroom as an official end to the conversation.

The next day, Makoto and Ami were forced to run straight towards the shrine to get to their meeting. Mamoru had skillfully scheduled their meeting for fifteen minutes before school got out so the girls would be unable to have much of a discussion before he was there. Rei and Mamoru were already staring each other down suspiciously. Minako was trying- and failing- to keep the peace.

Seeing Ami and Makoto run in, she pulled out her 'leader voice'. "Alright, all of you _sit down RIGHT THIS INSTANT_!" she commanded, causing the other four to drop to the floor. The blonde let out a sigh of relief, her worries that the others wouldn't listen to her being soothed. "Obviously, we have a situation," she declared, moving to sit in between Rei and Mamoru. "I believe we should all keep calm about this situation. We are all looking towards the same goal, so we should work together. It will be easier to fight if we all stick together. I know we have our differences, but if we come together, we'll be able to find and protect the princess much faster."

Grumbling, the others gradually came to agree, and Minako called the meeting to an end, sending everyone off on their own not-so-merry way.

Poor Mamoru walked out of the shrine and straight into a blonde girl. Acting quickly, he grabbed the girl around the waist, using his free hand to hold her back. The girl stared at him in shock for a moment as he slowly brought her back to her feet. "Um... thanks," she said nervously. She shot the man a gentle smile. "Do I... know you from somewhere?" she asked as he released her.

Mamoru paused, stopping to ponder the girl's existence. "I don't think so," he finally said.

"Well, I'm sure I'd remember such handsome eyes like yours," she declared with a smile, and Mamoru detected a bit of an accent from the girl.

"Oh, what's your accent?" he asked. "Er, I mean, where are you from?"

The girl hesitated, longer than she should have, before she finally answered, "Australia. I'm from Sydney. It's wonderful this time of year; I miss it so much sometimes."

"So you're new in town?" he asked.

"Fresh off the plane," she replied with a smile. "In fact, my brothers are sure to want me home soon, so I should probably go. It was nice meeting you!" With that, the girl took off down the sidewalk at an astounding speed.

The girl, better known as Tsukino Usagi arrived home within minutes, slamming the door shut as she entered the house. She turned to head into the living room, but someone was already there. The blonde jumped slightly, surprised by the silver-haired man's appearance. "Kunz," she said sweetly, trying to act innocent. "How are you?"

"Furious," he declared, standing up from the sofa and walking over to the blonde. When the two were nearly chest-to-chest, he staring down at her, he went on, "You left."

Usagi sighed and pulled away from her brother, knowing he was trying to use his height as an intimidation tactic. "Kaede, I just wanted to breathe," she explained. "It was either leave or lose my mind."

But Kaede was quick to react. "You know it's not safe."

The blonde only rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I have been kept locked up in this house since I was five," she declared, sorrow in her eyes and voice. "Is it too much to ask for me to get away for just one day?"

"Absolutely," a voice from the top of the spiral staircase stated simply. Usagi turned to see Shingo, her brother who was only four years her senior, as opposed to Kaede's eleven. Shingo began walking down the stairs, lecturing as he did. "It is dangerous for you to leave this house. Should anyone find you, even _them_, your secret would be in jeopardy. Chaos is preparing her last resort, and-"

"All the more reason for me to find the senshi, tell them what we're up against!"

Both Kaede and Shingo sent her warning looks on that one.

The blonde sighed and corrected herself. "What _you're_ up against. I'm just the pathetic little girl that no one trusts." Bitterness lay heavy in her voice at her inability to fight.

"You are neither pathetic, nor does anyone distrust you," a brunette man said as he walked from the kitchen with a tray containing six small popcorn buckets. "We simply do not wish for you to be hurt."

Usagi scoffed. "Noboru," she whined, crossing her arms and stamping her foot like a child.

"Hush, I have popcorn," the man declared, setting the tray down on the coffee table in the living room.

Usagi pouted. "That's not going to work," she declared.

"Yes it will," one of two blond men said as they walked into the room.

"It always does," the younger of the two, Seiji, agreed.

"Fine," the girl agreed, though she refused to remove the pout from her face. "Jurou, please talk some sense into them," she requested of the short-haired blond. She batted her eyelashes, looking rather like a lost puppy.

Jurou chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry kiddo, but I'm not just your brother's hot friend now that I remember," he smirked. "You're like a little sister."

In retaliation, Usagi stuck her tongue out, only to have Jurou's hand lash out, sliding down Usagi's tongue. "Oh, ew, ew, ew, ew!" the blonde exclaimed, trying to get the taste of Jurou's hand out with her own while the men in the room laughed.

* * *

Alright, let me just start by saying that I already have this entire story written out. I know that some people don't read others' writing because they're worried about the delay. You have no need to fear with me, though. Well, not on this fic anyway. I'm looking forward to this, and it's kind of a neat project for me. I've been wanting to write something like this for a while, but this is the first time it's really playing out well for me. Hopefully it'll play out well for you, too. R&R! Thanks!

Squirrel

P.S. Please check out my poll on my profile and my web site for an in-progress project, Lunar Rising.  
lunarrising. weebly. com


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly a year before Usagi managed to sneak out again. Each of the guys had some sort of unavoidable appointment and locked her in the house. Of course, it never occurred to them that she knew how to climb down from the balcony attached to her bedroom.

Usagi practically skipped down the sidewalk, overjoyed to see someone other than her two brothers and their friends. She found herself being pulled towards a building with a yellow sign that read 'Crown Game Center'. The blonde smiled at the thought. She loved games, and now she would finally have a chance to play with someone other than the usual five.

Instantly, the blonde saw a man sitting at the counter towards the back of the main floor. She grinned, recognizing him as the only man the blonde had come across on her little trip last year.

"Ohayo!" the blonde cheered loudly behind the man, causing him to jump and turn around.

He blinked, surprised to see her. "Ah, you again," he said. Noting the hurt look on the blonde's face, he went on, "I meant that in a good way. Sorry, I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth. I tried to find you, but I never got your name."

The girl let out a giggle and replied, "I'm Tsukino Usagi, and don't worry. I'm the same way." She gave a polite bow of introduction.

The man bowed back and told her, "I'm Chiba Mamoru. What brings you to this part of Tokyo?"

"Doing what every sane teen does… sneaking out," she confessed with a little grin.

Mamoru winced internally. She was a child; he should have known! Still, that didn't stop his sudden desire to be closer to the girl. Normally, he disliked speaking with girls and women other than the senshi- and even they were not at the top of his speaking-to list- but he felt drawn to this Usagi.

"Um, Usagi-chan, this is Furuhata Motoki," he finally said, hoping to distract himself from the fact that she was jailbait. "He's the manager of the arcade."

"Well, Mamoru, Motoki, it's nice to meet you," she said, not using the traditional suffixes that came with an elder's name, or any suffix at all for that matter. Mamoru would have understood it last year, for she said she was fresh from Australia, but she had been in Japan for a year. She should have known the proper phrases.

But Mamoru said nothing, instead taking a sip from his coffee. "Motoki-kun, a chocolate milkshake for the lovely lady here," he said. "Put it on my tab."

"My hero," the blonde smiled, batting her eyelashes playfully. "I'm stuck without money. I forgot to get any in my rush to leave." She let out a small laugh at her forgetfulness.

Before Mamoru could reply, the door gave off its familiar chime, and the duo were soon surrounded by four girls about Usagi's age.

"Ohayo, Mamoru-kun," the blonde of the group said cheerily. She glanced to Usagi, no recognition appearing on her face. "Who's your friend?"

"My name is Usagi," the petite girl explained before Mamoru or Motoki could do it for her. "I got into town last autumn, and I met Mamoru on my first day."

The four senshi looked to Mamoru suspiciously, wondering where he had been hiding the teen. "It was the day of the meeting," he explained. "I never saw her after that… well, until today."

"I'm… kinda glad we met each other again," Usagi smiled, turning to the milkshake Motoki brought her in an attempt to hide her blush.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Usagi gasped and spun around to see Shingo leaving his group of friends to head over to her. "Oh no…" the blonde muttered, seeing her impending demise.

Finally, Shingo made it to the group and began speaking sternly with his little sister. "Usagi, what are you doing out of the house? You know you're not allowed to leave. When we get back, you are going to be in _so much_ trouble, young lady-"

"But Shingo-"

"No buts," Shingo ground out harshly. He looked around at his baby sister's company. "Great, you're with _them_," he hissed, taking a brief moment to stare each of the five down. A sigh escaped his lips, and he looked at the group.

The tall man pursed his lips in anger for a moment before making his decision. "Well, now that you've decided to get all friendly with these fools, they'll be coming with us," he declared, sneering at Mamoru in particular.

Usagi sighed but turned to her new friends with desperate eyes. "Please?" she begged, sounding much gentler than her older brother. "He's just overprotective. We'd be happy to have you over for dinner."

Reluctantly, the group agreed, but not without Makoto making a comment under her breath, "Have us _over_ for dinner or have us _for_ dinner?" Of course, that little comment earned her a hushing from Ami.

The seven wound up before a private road, taking a hike that must have lasted at least half an hour.

"Ugh, how long is this road?" Minako whined.

Before Shingo could come back with a snide remark, Usagi cut in, "Not much longer. Just through these trees, and we'll be there." The girl's promise was soothing, as was her entire presence.

A giggle escaped the blonde, and she walked through a small section of trees. "Come on," she said, a bright smile on her face. Shingo was next to walk through the small opening, and reluctantly, the other five followed. However, they hardly expected to see a castle on the other side.

The building was so obviously old, just judging by the bricks and architectural style, but it had been well-maintained. There were no loose bricks, no rotting, and it was surrounded by fresh flowers, bushes, and trees. The castle reached at least ten stories into the air, maybe more, but Shingo and Usagi were ushering them to the front door before anyone could count.

Mamoru was the first to walk through the intricate archway, seeing that the inside of the palace had been updated far more than the outside. It looked modern, though classy, a spiral staircase residing in the next room, probably the living room.

He walked forward, followed by the senshi. He watched as Shingo turned to his sister and whispered something. The blonde looked rather reluctant, but she nodded and ran into the next room, up the stairs.

"You have a lovely home," Ami commented to prevent tension from rising in the room.

Shingo blinked. "Thank you," he replied, ice in his voice. "Our parents willed it to us."

The quintet winced at his words. "I'm sorry to hear that," Makoto finally spoke up. "My parents died when I was about ten."

An awkward silence filled the air, each waiting for someone to say something or maybe for Usagi to come back downstairs… But who knew how long that one was going to take?

"And what are they doing here?" a voice from the front entrance asked. They all turned, and the senshi and Mamoru paled drastically.

"Kunzite," Minako spat bitterly.

* * *

Le gasp! The senshi and the shitennou meet! Okay, so you know the drill: read, review, vote on my poll, check out my web site:

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And check out my buddy Koneko's website! She's super sweet; I promise she won't bite!

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	3. Chapter 3

The girls all sneered at their former enemy, though Mamoru just looked a little cautious. Shingo appeared absolutely serene.

"What are you doing here?" Minako demanded harshly, walking up to the man and glaring up at him.

"I was coming home from a meeting to see my baby brother and sister," the man explained. "However, I didn't expect to come across a train wreck." He turned to glare at Shingo.

"Kaede, Usa snuck out," Shingo explained. "She came across the senshi and Endymion, so I brought them back with us."

Kaede was not impressed. "This is why we don't let Usagi leave in the first place," he stated seriously. "From now on, one of us will have to stay with her at all times."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you lock your sister up like some sort of animal?" Rei demanded, looking at the two men. "How dare you? She seems… a little bit _too_ chipper, but sweet all the same!"

Shingo shook his head and turned to the noirette priestess. "It's for her own good," he replied simply.

"'For her own good' my ass," Rei replied. "You can't just trap a human being in a cage, even if that cage is a palace!"

Suddenly, Usagi popped her head downstairs, hiding her body with a towel. "Excuse me, Mamoru, could you give me a hand with something?" she requested sweetly, having no clue of the conversation about her.

Mamoru blinked at the blonde, eying her long, blonde hair as it draped over her shoulder. "Um… sure," he finally replied, moving to the stairs, only to have Kaede put an arm out to stop him.

"I don't think so," he growled. Turning his sister, he said, "Whatever you need help with, one of the guys or I can do it."

Usagi frowned, glancing around at the group. "I'd rather have Mamoru help me," she stated defiantly.

Kaede frowned, shooting a glare at Usagi. "It's Shingo, me, or no one," he stated.

Usagi let out a frustrated sigh before finally saying, "Alright, Kaede, get up here."

Growling, Kaede told the group, "She was never like this before she met you." He was so obviously angry, but he still headed upstairs to assist his sister.

"Noboru, Jurou, and Seiji will be here soon," Shingo stated, walking towards the kitchen and gesturing for the senshi and Mamoru to follow. "For now, though, would you like anything to eat or drink? You might not get anything until tomorrow or the next day if the guys have anything to say about it. They are very protective of Usagi and don't like it that you're here."

"The same seems to be the case with you," Darien noted.

Shingo nodded. "To a slightly more muted degree," he confessed. "I like to know that my sister is safe, and the more people she knows, the more danger she's in."

"Danger?" Ami asked in confusion. "Danger from what?"

"Yeah, it's not like she's a senshi or anything," Rei agreed. "She doesn't have to fight."

The eighteen-year-old blond pursed his lips in thought, not wanting to confess the issue. "It's complicated," was all he said. He went around the kitchen, collecting supplies for spaghetti and marinara without it being requested. "Could one of you get a jar of marinara from the fridge?"

Mamoru, being the closest, walked towards the fridge and opened it. He reached towards the marinara on the shelf, only to have a carton of milk distract him. On the back of the carton was a young girl that looked incredibly similar to Usagi.

"Why does Usagi have an Australian accent when yours and Kaede's are perfectly Japanese?" Mamoru asked warily. "You _are_ her brothers, aren't you?"

Shingo chuckled, shaking his head. "Is that what she told you? We're Australian?" He let out another laugh. "No, no, we've all lived in Japan our whole lives. Her accent was… developed. Soon your accents will revert back to that of the planet you are each from as well."

"She's from the Silver Millennium," Minako realized, though Mamoru remained silent in his skepticism.

Makoto managed to take the issue one step further. "She's Serenity."

A smirk crossed Shingo's lips. "Bingo," he confirmed. He pulled a pot out of a cabinet, placing it over a burner on the island and turning it on. Conveniently, there was also a sink on the island, allowing Shingo to take the detachable faucet and pour a great deal of water into the pot.

It wasn't much longer before they were joined by Noboru, Jurou, and Seiji, their greetings towards each other being similar to the initial interaction between the senshi and Mamoru and Kaede. Gradually, they had migrated towards the living room after eating spaghetti, the air in the room still tense without their blonde buffer.

"Oh, don't tell me you can't hold a conversation without me," a voice from the top of the stairs asked jokingly. "If so, then we're all going to be in therapy for years."

The group turned to see Usagi and Kaede standing at the top of the stairs, the former having a little grin on her face and the latter frowning deeply. Usagi's blonde hair was pulled up into a bun with small jewels in her hair. A sapphire blue dress gently hugged her body in a Victorian style, the only deviation being that the dress flowed gently to the floor instead of poofing out princess-style.

She walked down the stairs, Kaede following her warily. Obviously, he didn't want his baby sister to run off again. "So," the blonde grinned, "has Shingo… _explained_ who I am?"

"They know you're Serenity," Shingo declared before much else could be said.

A frown appeared on the blonde's face for just a second before it was replaced by a bright, though forced, smile. "Great," she said sincerely. She sat down on the sofa next to Mamoru, only to have Kaede pick her up and sit her down a bit further away, the tall man separating them.

"What happened with Beryl and the Black Moon Clan and Galaxia?" Rei demanded. "None of us can remember the details."

Usagi glanced around a bit nervously, a guilty look in her eyes. "We were together as a team along with the outer senshi. We fought without the shitennou and won each time," she declared. "Now there is a new problem, a stronger problem. The shitennou have been able to take care of most of the issues without you noticing."

At that point, Seiji jumped in. "But as long as you know that there is a new threat, you might as well join us."

"Our number one priority is making sure the enemy doesn't ever find Usagi," Noboru continued, looking around the group. "She's Chaos's main target."

Ami put her hand up, thinking things through in her head. "Wait, okay, I know Usagi-chan is Serenity, but why is Chaos so obsessed with killing her? In the grand scheme of things-"

"It's complicated," Usagi quickly cut in, shooting an angry glare to the blunette. She obviously wasn't too happy about the situation.

Slowly, the blonde looked down at her feet, blushing over her outburst. "Sorry," she whispered, hiding her eyes.

Quickly, in an attempt to disperse the discomfort of the situation, Makoto said, "I don't know about any of you, but I want my memories back."

Warily, the shitennou, Shingo, and Usagi shared a look. "Let them know," the youngest of the group ordered.

* * *

And yes, memories will be coming back in the next chapter. I'm looking forward to the rest of this story being revealed. It's half over now, so I'm really wondering where you all think this is going. And remember: check out my poll and web site!

lunarrising. weebly. com


	4. Chapter 4

I'm feeling kind this week, so here's another chapter.

* * *

"Alright," Kaede said, walking into a barren room. It was pure white, from the floor to the ceiling, absent of any furniture. "Just take a seat on the floor somewhere, and we'll get started."

"This room neutralizes all of our powers," Jurou added in. "If there's ever an attack here, get your attacker locked in this room while you stay the hell out."

"We generally use this room for training," Shingo went on. "Physical stuff, in case the shitennou can't use their powers for whatever reason in battle."

Minako looked wary as she sat cross-legged on the carpet. "Why do we have to be in a room where our powers don't work if we're just getting our memories back?" she asked anxiously.

Usagi frowned and replied, "It will hurt. Just try to remember to breathe." She reached into a small pouch on her hip, pulling out a small handful of silver dust. The blonde took a deep breath and blew the dust over her protectors and would-be lover.

* * *

_A blonde seven-year-old stood in the courtyard, nervously twirling a sword around at a ridiculously slow rate. Her eyes remained locked on the blade, even as four more girls her age and her mother walked up behind her._

_"Serenity," he mother said sweetly, though she still managed to take the blonde by surprise._

_The girl gasped, the sword slipping out of her hand and clattering to the marble walkway. She spun around, looking incredibly guilty, a blush crossing her pale features. "Mother, what- what are you doing here?" she asked, playing innocent._

_Queen Serenity chuckled lightly and approached her daughter, squatting down to her height. "You won't have to train anymore, Serenity," she said. "You don't need to be a senshi. Athena, Aphrodite, Enyo, and Diônê will be your guards now."_

_The young princess looked past her mother to her friends. "They're going to be my guards?" Serenity whispered, glancing back to the tall woman. "But they're my friends."_

_"They can still be your friends, Serenity," the queen promised. "They'll just be your protectors as well."_

_The girl glanced back and forth between her mother and the girls a few times before a smile spread across her face. "Okay," she nodded._

* * *

_Gradually, as the girls grew up, they formed a bond. Their bond stuck strong, past all that came between them. They would be together at all times, playing or studying, and Serenity often joined them for training, though hers was, of course, minor in comparison to the training her guards received._

_Yes, the girls remained very close… until Serenity turned thirteen._

_"Where did she go?" Aphrodite, Sailor Venus, demanded._

_Diônê, Sailor Jupiter, shook her head worriedly. "She ran off into the teleportation room… She's on Earth."_

_Enyo, Sailor Mars, felt the color drain from her face. "WHAT?" she yelled. "You never thought to _follow_ her?"_

_"Of course I followed her!" Diônê insisted. "She kept on running, and I lost her. Unfortunately…"_

_Athena, the youngest senshi, Sailor Mercury, winced. "Unfortunately what?" she asked._

_Diônê was slow answering, but she finally confessed, "She was near the Palace of Terre. I came back so we could all go there together and find her before she gets herself killed."_

* * *

_"I can't believe this," Mars grumbled. "She is so dead when we find her."_

_A low laugh behind them caused the four senshi to turn around, immediately taking up defensive stances. They were all able to recognize the shitennou, but their leader was the one to speak next. "You can only kill her if someone didn't beat you to it."_

_"What did you do to her?" Venus demanded, sneering at the men._

_Kunzite scoffed. "Calm down, she's fine," he assured the girls. He turned, leading the group through a hedge maze. Finally making it out the other side, the eight were faced with a shocking sight._

_Little Princess Serenity, only thirteen-years-old, lay with her body curled up against a man's. He was probably about ten years her senior and absolutely gorgeous. They seemed to fit together like a couple of puzzle pieces, she drawing little circles on his chest while he gently rubbed his hand up and down her side, petting her hair occasionally._

_Mars and Jupiter were on site in an instant, pulling the blonde away from her lover. At least she was still clothed._

_"What is going on?" Venus yelled, she and Mercury following their brash comrades._

_Kunzite shook his head, walking into the clearing with the other shitennou at his heels. "They've been at this for at least two months," he stated, looking out towards the lake. "However, I'm going to guess more by how spacey Endymion has been."_

_The twenty-three-year-old prince shot to his feet, rushing over to Serenity and pulling her back from her senshi._

_Needless to say, that one action started a rivalry between the two groups, though that rivalry slowly turned to love, each senshi falling for one of the shitennou._

_And then came the war._

_The loss._

_And the fall._

* * *

Minako opened her eyes with a gasp, putting a hand on her heart in a pathetic attempt to slow its speeding. The other senshi and Mamoru were not much better off.

Each senshi was being held by their respective shitennou, but Mamoru pulled himself away from the group, standing in the corner and just watching. "Where's Serenity?" he asked, noticing that she wasn't in the room.

* * *

Usagi let out a nervous breath, straightening her white dress. It reached her knees, and paired with the navy blazer she wore and the matching clutch bag, she looked very grown up. She stared up at the large building before her and let out a nervous breath.

"I can do this," she told herself. With that, she walked into the office building for Aera Magazine, keeping her head down in an attempt to avoid anyone recognizing her as the girl on the missing posters spread throughout the building by the editor, Kenji Tsukino.

She made her way into the elevator without being noticed, pressing the button for the top floor. Her heart hammered in her chest, despite her best attempts to calm it.

As the doors opened, she realized. This was the moment. After eight years, she would finally get to see her father again.

* * *

Dee deedee deedee. Sorry for leaving you with that as your little mini-cliffie until next week! Still, check out my profile for my poll and my web site:

lunarrising. weebly. com


	5. Chapter 5

Usagi held her head up high as she walked through the bullpen, several reporters and photographers stopping to stare at her. They all knew of their editor's daughter. She had been kidnapped at the age of seven in a mugging that left Kenji in the hospital for weeks. The man had barely been able to move on with his life, and to this day he insisted that the robber was after Usagi the entire time.

But the lost girl had returned, and though she was eight years older, it was obvious to everyone that she was the same child.

The blonde ignored the eyes that laid heavily upon her, instead walking straight up to where the editor's office was. In order for Kenji to keep an eye on his workers, the walls were made of glass, but the man was incredibly focused on his work. Usagi stood there for a moment, completely unsure of what to do despite the air she tried to give off.

She didn't bother knocking, instead just walking into the room.

"Haven't you ever heard of-" Kenji began his usual rant, only to stop as he looked up. He blinked, his jaw dropping to the floor as he tried to rationalize the millions of thoughts racing through his head. However, instead of saying much of anything intelligible, he just whispered his daughter's name.

The teen smiled nervously, tears springing to her eyes. "Hi, Daddy," she replied with a tiny grin.

Kenji stared at his daughter for a moment, the gears in his head slowly winding together. And in a fraction of a second, he was out of his chair, his arms wrapped around his daughter in a tight hug. Tears fell from both their eyes, even as they slowly pulled out of the hug.

"H-have a seat," Kenji offered, gesturing to the seat across from his at his desk. Both sat down, and Kenji fuddled to start conversation. "You, um… he-he let you go?"

A frown fell upon the blonde's face, and she pursed her lips. "No," she confessed. "I snuck out. They would kill me if they knew where I was." A sigh passed her lips. "But they're trying to protect me."

The man looked perplexed. "Protect you?" he asked incredulously. "You were _kidnapped_. And you think they were trying to protect you?"

Usagi took in and let out a deep breath using the relaxation techniques Seiji had taught her. "I know it may be hard for you to understand, but… they're looking out for me. I trust them all with my life."

* * *

"Where the hell could she have gone?" Jurou asked as he ran down the stairs after checking the second floor for the shitennou's blonde captive.

Kaede only shook his head, pursing his lips in thought. They were stuck taking care of the shaky senshi and Mamoru, and they had to track down Usagi. "We've already got the inners and cape boy here," he muttered, vocalizing his thought process. "Where else could she want to go?"

"Maybe she's trying to find her parents," Mamoru said, standing up and shooting glares to the shitennou and Shingo. "After all, you kidnapped her, right?"

The senshi looked up in surprise, wondering if Mamoru's accusation was true.

Kaede frowned. "Yes, we did kidnap her," he confessed, no remorse in his voice. "She would have died if we didn't."

"Died?" Minako asked incredulously, feeling protective of her princess. "The only thing she could have died from that I see around here is your mistreatment of her!"

Shingo was quick to respond. "We haven't been mistreating her," he assured the group. "I really am her brother. I would never hurt her, and I would never let anyone else hurt her."

"Then why did you kidnap her?" Rei burst out, looking at the princess's five kidnappers.

"That's not important," Noboru quickly cut in. "What's important is getting Usagi back here before she gets hurt."

Mamoru was quick to respond, pulling rank and standing to his full 6'3". "As your prince, I am commanding you to tell me why Usagi is in danger," he ordered harshly, staring the men down.

The shitennou and Shingo glanced around, and reluctantly, Kaede spoke. "The reason we don't let her out is because she is Cosmos. She and Chaos made a deal that when Usagi gets her powers, the war will truly begin. Beryl, the Black Moon Clan, Galaxia… they were all nothing."

"Well then, all Usagi would really have to do is not get her powers, however that is done," Ami replied with a shrug.

Seiji was the next to speak. "The only way Usagi can get her powers as Cosmos is for her to die," he explained. "We believe that Chaos is willing to kill Usagi to start the war."

* * *

Usagi took a bite of her frozen yogurt, a bright smile on her face. "I can't believe how much has changed," she breathed, looking around the city.

"Yeah," Kenji replied slowly, almost sadly. "Your mother and Shingo… they're really going to want to see you. Kaede's kind of gone off the grid."

The blonde froze, looking up at her father. "Shingo's still living with you?" she asked in awe. Quickly, she caught herself. "I thought he would have been off to college by now."

"He's going to Tokyo U," Kenji explained. "He lives on campus but comes home every Friday for dinner. He'll be home tonight."

Usagi grinned. "Great," she said with a nod. "I can't wait to see him… I didn't even know what day it was."

Kenji and Usagi walked home, talking the whole way about what had happened over the past few years. They spoke all the way until they got to the porch, where the blonde froze.

"Mom's in there," the blonde said quietly.

Kenji gently pet the nervous girl's hair, trying to reassure her. "She'll want to see you," he said, just as quietly as Usagi had spoken.

The blonde nodded slowly. "I want to see her, too," she declared. "I'm just a little anxious, that's all. I've been waiting for this for eight years, and now…" She let out a breath.

"You can do it," Kenji promised, opening the door and walking inside, Usagi at his heels.

A sweet voice floated from the kitchen. "Oh, Kenji, good! You're home!" Ikuko walked out of the kitchen, leaving the half-cooked dinner behind. Her smile remained for a moment as she saw Usagi before it fell off her face in shock.

It was a ghost. It had to be a ghost. There was no way she was actually… "Usagi?" Ikuko whispered, almost not wanting to believe it after the years of trauma and hardship.

"Hi, Mom," Usagi replied, tears coming to her eyes.

The front door open and shut again, Shingo calling out, "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

Usagi turned to face her brother, the smiles falling from both their faces in an instant.

* * *

Hehe! One chapter left! Remember to go to my profile and vote on my poll! And check out my web site:

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Thanks, guys!


	6. Chapter 6

Dinner went on for the four Tsukinos, each passing second being more awkward than the previous, especially with Shingo's questions.

"So do you know who was holding you?" Shingo asked, staring intently at his sister.

Usagi nearly choked on her lasagna. "Um…" she began once she had gotten her bite down. "I'd never met any of them before… I, uh… I don't even know their names."

"Their?" Shingo asked, feigning interest. "There was more than one?"

"…Yes," Usagi replied slowly.

"Shingo, stop, you're making your sister upset," Ikuko ordered kindly, never liking to raise her voice at her children.

Usagi shook her head. "It's okay," she replied, "I'm fine with it." She turned to her brother, looking him in the eye. "It's all behind me now."

Had either parent noticed the threatening glare Usagi sent Shingo, they didn't mention it.

"May I be excused?" Shingo asked, his dinner finished. He didn't wait for a response, instead heading up to his bedroom and pulling out his phone. He typed in the ever-so-familiar number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" Jurou asked from the other end of the line. "Please tell me you found her."

Shingo sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, she's at my house," he replied, plopping down on his bed. "She'll be asleep by eleven; you can grab her then. I'll have to stay behind and be the innocent brother, lest people learn I'm in on this."

"It'll be done," Jurou assured him with a nod.

Sure enough, Usagi was out like a light, even at ten. Normally, she liked to stay up a bit later, but the day had been so incredibly eventful that the blonde hardly knew what to do with it.

And so the girl remained in sleep until a hand covered her nose and mouth, silencing her before she could wake up to react.

* * *

Kaede listened to his friends' report over his cell phone, the frown on his face growing every second. The senshi and Mamoru watched the man curiously, wondering just what was making him so upset. Had Usagi turned the shitennou and Shingo in? Or had something else happened that foiled their plans to reclaim her?

Finally, Kaede hung up the phone and turned to the quintet. "You'll be living here from now on," he told the group coldly. "It's not safe for you out there untrained anymore. There are hundreds of rooms for you to choose from, just choose wisely."

"What about Usagi?" Mamoru demanded, needing to know what was going on with his blonde princess.

Kaede pursed his lips, deeply considering if he should tell the group or not. Realizing they would find out eventually, he said, "She's been kidnapped again… but not by the shitennou."

* * *

As you can probably guess, this story will be featuring a sequel. I'm guessing that this will be a trilogy, just based on how many ideas I have. There are a few plot holes I left in this that I fully intend to fill with the story's sequels. Thanks for taking the time to read and review and sticking with me on this!


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